How to Pull Off Salon-Style Nails At Home

We’re all spending more time at home these days – but this is no excuse for our nail game to slip up. 

Nail salons seem to be opening and closing and opening and closing. If there was ever a time it was hard to get to the salon, it’s now. Even if the heavenly clouds open up and you can manage to schedule in a booking, do you really want to? Wearing a face mask for an hour and a half and sanitizing a few dozen times doesn’t sound like much fun. 

What does sound like fun? Giving yourself salon-style nails at home. 

Nails at Home 

Whoever said nails at home isn’t just as awesome? It’s 2020. Everything we thought we knew is out the window. Nails at home are awesome and here’s why:

It’s time to rethink the whole “nail” game. Soon it won’t be “nails at home,” it will just be nails. 

How Though?

But how to achieve salon-style nails at home? So glad you asked. There are now more ways to do nails DIY-style than ever before. 

Paint them yourself

Practice painting your own nails. It may take a while to get used to, but like everything else in life, practice makes perfect. 

Pharmacy nail polishes are highly affordable, we’re talking $3-$9 for a bottle of polish. A bottle of polish will last for months even if you’re doing your nails once or twice a week. The lower price point also means you can switch it up more often and experiment with more colors. Then after a while, poof! You have a collection of colors and can give rainbow nails a try. Which, just like the tie-dye movement, is booming in popularity. 

Home nail kits

Nail kits bring you everything you need to do your nails at home, all by yourself. They’ll come with the basics like polish colors, topcoat, a nail file, and other little tools you may need. Nail kits will usually also have a quick information card giving you the 441 on how to paint your nails with helpful little tips and tricks. 

Press-on Nails

For those who aren’t quite ready to become amateur nail artists, meet press-ons. They save time, energy, and cash. Press-on nails have made their rise in popularity over the last few years and it’s a bandwagon worth getting on. 

Applying press-on nails is actually extremely easy – easier than painting your own nails for sure. Simply cleanse your nails and stick them right on. The best press-on nails will be super sticky and can last up to a week, but you can also add a pea-sized amount of glue to give them an extra few days. 

When applying press-ons, it’s best to start at the cuticle and then lower the nail slowly from back to front. Apply steady pressure and watch out for air pockets under the nail. Once the nail is in place, seal it in a little more by pressing against the sides. Hold that baby down for 30 seconds then move onto the next one. Voila! Easy peasy. 

Another great thing about press-ons is their removal process (or lack thereof, if we’re comparing to anything like acrylic nails). Fill a small bowl with warm water and a splash of oil, soak your nails for a few minutes, then wiggle them right off. Not only is it quick and easy, but press-ons won’t leave your nails looking like World War 3 just hit him. If you opted to use some glue under your nails, you’ll want to soak them in an acetone-based remover. It should still only take a few minutes to remove the nails and any residual glue. 

Press-on nails last for up to a week! But the easy application and removal process makes it tempting to switch them up more often than that. A good set of press-on nails will cost you $10-$15, which is just about half the cost of a regular manicure. So, if our calculations are correct, your nail allowance will get you new nails twice as often or nails for half the price. 

Press-on nails are simple, easy, affordable, and very stylish. They’re probably your best bet for getting salon-style nails at home.

Let’s Talk Style

However you decide to do your nails at home, style is non-negotiable. Style is also highly individualistic; there’s no saying what’s stylish and what’s not – beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. 

Shape

They say a picture tells a thousand words, we say nail shape tells even more. There are quite a few shapes to choose from…we’ll just go through a few of them. 

Coffin nails are one of the hottest shapes right now. Coffin shape nails exude confidence and will never fail to let those around you know that you mean business. Coffin style is also commonly referred to as ballerina nails. Go ahead and add “femininity” to the list of things you’ll be exuding with this nail shape. 

Oval shaped nails will always be tasteful and elegant. It doesn’t matter if your kitchen is a little cluttered or there are fast food wrappers in your car, a girl with oval-shaped nails has her life together, end of story. 

Square shaped nails are highly versatile – and we love them for it. They’re bold, edgy, and highly practical. Square nails somehow make themselves suitable for every occasion; school-life, work-life, a night out, you name it. 

Length

Just because you’re doing your nails at home doesn’t mean you can’t play around with some length. 

Short nails are the go-to for all the busy women of the world. Short nails are highly functional while still giving off that glam. If you’re working with your own nails, it’s easy to trim, file, and shape them the way you please. For press-ons, don’t worry, they’re not one size (length) fits all. Press-ons come in different lengths and can be further filed down to your preferred shortness. 

Medium length nails are a fall-back length that can serve you in all the ways. Medium length nails can quietly blend in for more mellow situations but can also be played up in a tasteful way for parties. When in doubt, medium-length it out. 

Long nails scream hot girl summer all day long (we know it’s fall now; the important take away is the “hot girl” part). Don’t be shy to rock the long nails, it’s a bold move and we’re all for it. If you can manage the length, go get em’ tiger. 

Color

Fall season calls for dark, moody, and mysterious colors…blah blah blah. It’s 2020, remember? The rules are being re-written. 

Flower designs on nails are surprisingly accurate, detailed, and are without a doubt adorable. Nail art creativity is blossoming this season. Flowers can be made mellow to blend in with nude colors or be bold to be the center of attention. It may be tricky to paint your own flowers, but press-ons will be the way you can achieve these nails at home. 

Tie-dye has definitely made its mark this year. Sweatsuits, accessories, and even nails have been overcome with tie-dye designs. Painting your nails yourself? Get messy and play around with it. Making blotches and blending them together with a beauty blender will get you the highly sought-after tie-dye look. 

Seasonal designs like pumpkins, skulls, and ghosts are the most fun. They can’t be worn all the time but should definitely be worn when they can. Intricate designs like these are for sure salon-style. You probably can’t paint these one’s yourself, but press-on nails have got your back. 

Salon-style Nails at Home? Easy. 

Doing your nails at home is affordable, accessible, and convenient. You don’t need to go to a salon to have beautiful nails that will last a long time. You can have your nails looking on point, at home, done from home. 

Getting your nails done is supposed to be relaxing, pampering, and feel like a treat. Relaxing, pampering, and a treat? Sounds a lot like doing your nails at home, in bed, with snacks. 

Having a fresh set of nails does more than make you look good, it feels good. Beautiful nails boost confidence, lift morale, and somehow magically make you feel like you have your life together. It’s not just an investment in a new bottle of polish or a set of press-on nails, it’s an investment in yourself. 

Forget “how to” pull off salon-style nails at home, think “why not” pull off salon-style nails at home.